If you’re planning a home renovation project, having your concrete scanned might not be on your radar, but if you planning on drilling or cutting into your concrete slab, it probably should be. If your general contractor hasn’t brought it up, you would be wise to ask about it. Bringing in a concrete scanning service to locate potential hazards embedded in your concrete could end up saving you a ton of time and money!
What Are Concrete Scanning Services?
Concrete scanning services are provided by companies that come to your property and evaluate your concrete slab using ground penetrating radar (GPR). GPR uses high-frequency radio waves to discover what is embedded in a concrete slab, without disturbing the concrete in the slightest. The waves are sent into the concrete, and based on how they bounce back, a GPR technician can tell you what is embedded in the concrete (rebar, pipes, conduit, etc.), where it is located, and how deeply it is embedded.
By having your concrete scanned by a professional concrete scanning service, you can avoid hitting anything that should be avoided when disturbing the concrete. Severing rebar, for example, could compromise the structural integrity of a slab, and therefore the stability of your home. Damaging a pipe could cause expensive damage, and also cause your renovation project to come to a standstill while it is repaired.
How to Find Concrete Scanning Services Near You
Fortunately, concrete scanning services are not hard to find. There will likely be one near you. If you can’t find one that advertises specifically for scanning concrete, look for a company that offers private utility locating services, and they should be able to do the job. If you are in Southern California, Enhanced Scanning is a great company that offers concrete scanning services throughout the region.
If you have multiple options in your area for concrete scanning services according to an internet search, look for a company that uses ground penetrating radar, but also has other non-destructive locating tools at their disposal. While GPR is amazing technology for finding what is below the surface, there are instances where other technologies need to be brought in to verify GPR results, and if your project is one of them, you want to have that option available.
You should also look for a company that invests in the latest scanning technology, as well as in training their employees in its use. When it comes to GPR, having a highly trained and experienced technician operating the equipment is just as important as the quality of the equipment itself.
With concrete scanning services, it’s all about the accuracy of the results! You want to work with a company that can tell you, with a high amount of accuracy, where hazards are located, so you can avoid them in your renovation project.
